Lozells race riots sparked writer's interest

BIRMINGHAM'S recent riots in Lozells might seem an unlikely starting point for a new piece of dance theatre but the fact that Asians were fighting Afro-Caribbeans gave writer Parv Bancil food for thought.

BIRMINGHAM'S recent riots in Lozells might seem an unlikely starting point for a new piece of dance theatre but the fact that Asians were fighting Afro-Caribbeans gave writer Parv Bancil food for thought.

Bringing together the talents of director and choreographer Darshan Singh Buller, who brought Phoenix Dance Company's Planted Seeds to the city four years ago, and Parv, the show, Find Me Amongst

The Black aims to look at relationships across cultural divides.

Parv, whose previous work includes Crazy-horse and Made in England, says the work aims to look at some difficult subjects.

"The race riots in Birmingham were the catalyst," he says. "We want to look at the future of multiculturalism and multiracialism in the UK.

"I was brought up in the 1980s when it was very political and black was then a common identity. Politically we were all black and our common enemy was the National Front.

"But I am now 40 and am asking myself what has happened over the past 30 years so that communities have become so ghettoised and are turning in on themselves."

Parv is hoping his new work, which includes people from a range of cultural backgrounds, will be asking some hard-hitting questions about these communities.

"It takes the conventional story of star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, but what we wanted to do was look at this issue in a different way," he says.

"For instance, if we look at the issue of honour killing. This takes place in such a tiny minority of cases and yet we do have to own up to it and say that it does happen.

"There may only be a small number of murders, but what about the beatings, what about people who are refused the freedom to love who they want to?"

Parv is only too aware that such work can ruffle feathers but says the arts need to be asking those questions.

"No-one comes out of this story with clean hands," he says. "Asians, Afro-Caribbeans, even a white liberal female interrogator who you don't quite know where she is coming from. But this piece is about unity. We want to break a few eggs but not point any fingers."

Opening in London this week, Parv is keen to see Find Me Amongst The Black coming to the city which sparked it.

"In 1993 I wrote a play called Ungrateful Dead which was about Sikh gangs using heroin and featuring a gang rape," he recalls. "Initially it was going to Birmingham but it was decided it was too controversial and we were told we couldn't bring it.

"In the end we had to put it on in a school in Aston behind the Saddam Hussein Mosque. And it was a really good audience. It was totally trouble free and people really responded to it.

"I have full confidence in the audiences in Birmingham to deal with difficult subjects."

Find Me Amongst The Black is staged at mac on July 5 and 6. Call 0121 440 3838 or visit www.macarts.co.uk for ticket details.